[Hiring] Associate Director, Patient Services Operational Excellence @Ionis

Role Description

The Associate Director, Patient Services Operational Excellence is a key leader within the Patient Services organization, reporting to the Executive Director, Patient Services Innovation and Operational Excellence. This role is part of the Operational Center of Excellence (CoE), responsible for evaluating and optimizing patient services operations across Ionis’ commercialized brands.

The CoE drives strategic insights to inform operational decisions for current and future launches, while advancing continuous improvement and innovation across patient services. This role also plays a critical part in vendor oversight, ensuring best-in-class execution from external partners supporting patient access and affordability programs.

This position may be remote with preference for Southern California or Boston, MA.

Responsibilities

• Operational Excellence & Performance Insights
  • Monitor and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) across Patient Services programs and operations.
  • Identify and communicate actionable insights beyond standard KPI reporting, with particular focus on launch-phase dynamics.
  • Recommend and lead deep-dive analyses to uncover drivers of performance, operational gaps, and emerging trends.
  • Synthesize and present findings to leadership, cross-functional stakeholders, and external partners.
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
  • Identify operational pain points and opportunities for optimization aligned with brand and commercial objectives.
  • Gather and synthesize feedback from internal stakeholders, patients, providers, and external partners.
  • Develop, prioritize, and support implementation of solutions that enhance operational efficiency and patient experience.
  • Partner with the Innovation Lab and external collaborators to pilot new approaches and scale successful solutions.
• Vendor Management & Oversight
  • Support implementation and ongoing optimization of hub services and patient affordability programs.
  • Lead day-to-day management of Patient Services vendors, ensuring high-quality, compliant, and efficient service delivery.
  • Proactively identify and escalate risks, performance issues, and improvement opportunities.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure vendor adherence to regulatory, quality, and contractual requirements.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Serve as a subject matter expert on Patient Services operations across internal teams.
  • Partner with Commercial, Market Access, Medical, and external stakeholders to deliver a seamless, high-quality patient and customer experience.
  • Ensure operational strategies and execution are aligned with overall brand objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required (Business, Life Sciences, or related field). Master's degree preferred.
• At least 12 years of progressively responsible experience in pharmaceutical/biotech Patient Services operations (hub, specialty pharmacy, or affordability), or equivalent with a Bachelor's degree; or at least 8 years of experience with a Master's degree.
• Demonstrated experience in Patient Services operations, including hub services and/or access & affordability programs.
• Strong understanding of specialty pharmaceuticals and patient access dynamics preferred.
• Proven track record in operational excellence, process improvement, and vendor management.
• Exceptional analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to translate complex operational data into clear, actionable insights for diverse audiences.
• Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills; ability to influence without authority.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.

Requirements

• Please visit our website, http://www.ionis.com for more information about Ionis and to apply for this position; reference requisition # IONIS003903.
• The pay scale for this position is $157,000 to $180,000.
• NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. PRINCIPALS ONLY.
• Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and all its subsidiaries are proud to be EEO employers.

Benefits

• Ionis offers an excellent benefits package! Follow this link for more details: Ionis Benefits .